Denizens of the Internet rank things all day every day and I too must do my part. And so, since it’s an even year I go through the many films I’ve seen and rank my fifty favorites. I’ve done some version of this sorting for about 35 years, but since much of that has been offline, it does nothing for the algorithm. And so, in honor of Georges Méliès, possible patron saint of films fantastical, it’s time to please the algorithm gods… or something.
In any case, you can learn more about my process for this year here and see some of the previous (online) entries here.
This year, the total of films sorted was about 550. As always, these include dozens of films that are either new, older but previously seen, or re-watched for the first time in a while. One of the most interesting parts of this exercise for me is to see how certain films shift in how they impact me over the years. And yes, over 40 of the films you saw in the prep list did not make it through the first sort, some do… in fact some all the way to the favorite 50. There is always flux.
Anyway, here are the ground rules:
- These must be feature films (narrative or documentary). Short films aren’t included.
- Film series or franchises do not count as one entry. Each must fend for itself.
- TV movies can be included (I don’t think any are in the top 50)
- TV mini-series are not included.
- Regular TV series are right out.
- These are my favorite films, not a “best of.” If anyone else entirely agrees with my list, one of the two of us is an alternate version of me, possibly allied with Jobu Tupaki.
- There is no rule # 7.
So, without further ado, counting down from 50:
50) Minority Report
49) Rear Window
48) Casablanca
47) The Blues Brothers
46) Field of Dreams
45) Galaxy Quest
44) The Lives of Others
43) The Count of Monte Cristo
42) Aliens
41) Captain Horatio Hornblower
40) Amadeus
39) Never Cry Wolf
38) Edge of Tomorrow
37) Midnight Run
36) Gattaca
35) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
34) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
33) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
32) Spotlight
31) 2010
30) The Court Jester
29) Ghostbusters
28) The Hunt for Red October
27) Children of Men
26) Everything Everywhere All at Once
25) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
24) Ocean’s Eleven
23) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
22) The Princess Bride
21) Star Wars
20) Black Hawk Down
19) Citizen Kane
18) Ran
17) The Empire Strikes Back
16) Amélie
15) Guardians of the Galaxy
14) The Godfather, Part II
13) North by Northwest
12) Dune: Part Two
11) Dune
10) Das Boot
9) The Little Prince
8) Arrival
7) Once Upon a Time in the West
6) The Shawshank Redemption
5) Singin’ in the Rain
4) Schindler’s List
3) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2) Raiders of the Lost Ark
1) Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
And, as always, here are some…
Basic Stats (note: genres overlap, based on IMDb genres)
- Total Comedies: 11
- Total Dramas: 34
- Total Action-Adventure Films: 27
- Total Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films: 26
- Total Westerns: 1
- Total War Movies: 14
- Total Musicals: 3
- Total Animated Films: 3
- Total films with Mister Liam Neeson: 1
- Number of films dropped/Number of new films added to the Favorite 50 (compared to 2022): 13
- Number of films new to the sort and added to the Favorite 50(!): 2
- Mean average year of the 50 films (rounded): 1991 |1992
- Decade with the most favorites: 1980s (13 films), followed by the 2000s (11 films). Of note is that we’re not halfway through the 2020s, but this decades is represented by 4 films already. | 2000s (13 films), followed closely by the 1980s (11 films)
- The film at #51 which at least one reader will insist should rank higher: Sense and Sensibility
Here is the obligatory musing…
Ever so slight shifts
Statistically, I don’t think there’s anything to note too much in terms of trends. There’s one less comedy, a bit more drama, a bit more drama, 3 animated films instead of 1… but only one Liam Neeson film. I know people are concerned about the last one. Everyone should be mindful to maintain an appropriate amount of Liam Neeson content as discussed between you and your cinematic specialist. All I’ll say is that I will do my best to rewatch Krull and Excalibur before the next sort, but I may need a Michael Collins-level Neeson dose. This Neeson deficiency is due to Rob Roy, in all the previous online editions, dropping to #65.
Into the Extended Sort
Speaking of deeper cuts, 15 new films made it into the top 200, including Godzilla Minus One, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and The Wild Robot. John Carpenter’s The Thing displaced A Quiet Place for favorite horror film and Klaus is back ahead of Die Hard as favorite Christmas film. “Resonance,” in that I watched all these films with one or more family members, was integral to my experience and those rankings. It reminds me of how much the best film experiences can be communal experiences.
So there you have it. Another biennial sort in the can… a term that becomes increasingly obscure with the waning use of physical film. May we all get to 2026 happy, healthy, and with some great new films to discover. If this list helps you check out or revisit some of those, I have done much better than simply please an algorithm. Enjoy!